Patent GB-616382-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for perforating accounting and statistical reord cards
IPC: B41L47/58
Filed: 1946-08-15
Abstract: 616,382. Punching machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. Aug. 15, 1946, No. 24343. Convention date, Aug. 17, 1945. [Class 31(ii)] In a machine for perforating accounting and statistical cards, a succession of printing plates is fed through the machine, each plate having removably attached thereto projections of different shapes indicating different data, which engage a plurality of sensing feelers, the feelers controlling the punching means so that a succession of cards fed through the machine are perforated each according to the projections on the corresponding plate. Fig 13 shows, as an example an address plate 87 with tabs 87c attached, indicating a certain sum of money, and Fig. 15 shows a cheque perforated in the last column in accordance with the sum; the cheque is also perforated to indicate other data such as the date and number of th( cheque, which perforation: are made automatically during the same run through the machine. The cheque numbers are punched consecutively by means of a counter in known manner, but means are provided for enabling the counter to be re-set manually to any desired number at the commencement of a run. Means are provided for stopping the machine automatically should an address plate jam or fail to feed correctly, if a card fails to feed, if the supply of address plates or cards is exhausted, if the magazine for receiving the address plates or the card-receiving pocket becomes full, or if the operator omits to place a follower weight on the top of the pile of address plates. Fig. 1 shows the machine in which the address plates 87 with follower weight 88 pass from the address plate hopper APH through the plate feeding mechanism and tab analyser in housing 34 into the plate receiving magazine PRM. The cards are fed from the punch hopper PH past the punches into a receiving pocket (not shown). The counter is contained in housing 35 and plate 216 may be lifted to enable the counter to be re-set manually. Card feed.-The card feed mechanism, Fig. 3, is of known construction except that means are provided for interrupting the feed automatically on certain contingencies by declutching the drive to the picker. The picker 36 is formed with rack teeth meshing with a toothed sector 38 which is oscillated about the shaft 37 by a cam 39. The cam follower is separately pivoted on a shaft coaxial with the shaft 37 and is normally connected to the sector 38 by a spring-loaded lever 47 having a dog tooth 43a which engages a corresponding notch in the cam follower lever 43, so that one complete rotation of the cam 39 causes one card to be fed to the first pair of card feed rollers 53. The three pairs of rollers 53, 55, 56 rotate intermittently to feed the cards past the row of punches 54, each punch being actuated by a punch magnet P. M. intermediate the intermittent feed movements. Each card is punched according to the data on an address plate which has been analysed during the previous cycle, i.e. the cards are ejected from their hopper one cycle ahead of the ejection of the corresponding address plate. Whenever the machine is stopped automatically by exhaustion of the address plate, on replenishing with address plates and restarting an extra card will be passing through the card feed mehcanism and will put the plate and cards out of step. To avoid this, the circuit is so arranged that when the machine stops, the magnet CFM is energized to prevent ejection of further cards from the card hopper but the card already perforated and the corresponding address plate each proceed to their respective stacking positions. Upon exhaustion of the cards in the hopper, the pivoted lever 71 enters the aperture in the follower weight 74 and opens the punch hopper contacts PHC to stop the machine. Also, if a card fails to eject the card lever contacts DCL are opened by the lever 72 to stop the machine. Plate feed.-The plate feed mechanism, Figs. 7, 8 and 9, ejects the bottom plate from the address plate hopper APH to the analysing position where its tabs are engaged by feelers to set up appropriate electrical circuits to punch the cards, and the plate is then lowered into the plate receiving magazine PRM. The shaft 103, Fig. 7, rotates continuously and reciprocates crank arm 101; the end of arm 101 is slotted and a pin 100d is yieldingly held against the end of the slot by springs 104. The pin 100d is carried on a lever 100 fast with shaft 94 whereby the shaft 94 oscillates. Attached to the shaft 94, Fig. 9, is the toothed sector 93 meshing with the picker 91 which slides on the guide rods 92 to eject the bottom plate 87 from the stack and feed it to the analysing position where its tabs contact a series of pivoted feelers 143, 144. Should the bottom plate 87 jam, the picker 91 and lever 100 will be unable to complete their stroke, and the pin 100d slides along the slot 101a stretching the springs 104; also the arm 94a fast on the shaft 94 will fail to close the picker interlock contacts PIC at the end of the cycle which will cause the machine to stop. The machine will also be stopped if the ejected plate fails to reach the analysing position fully, and so fails to close either of the plate lever contacts PLCI or PLC2, Fig. 8. Whilst in the analysing position, the plate is held at each end in the stacker drums 108, each of which has eight axial slots in its periphery. At the completion of the cycle the two stacker drums, which are connected by bevel gears 111, 112 and cross shaft 113 so that they rotate in synchronism but in opposite directions, are turned one eighth of a revolution by the Geneva cross mechanism 102b and 114 to lower the plate on to the platform 117 in the magazine PRM and to align with another pair of slots to receive the next plate. The stacker drums are arranged so that they press the used plate down into the magazine PRM, the plates already there being carried by platform 117 which is urged upwardly by tension spring 118 housed in tube 119, the spring acting on piston 119a to which is attached the cords 121, 121a whose other ends are attached to the carriage 117. The tube 119 is provided with only a small air inlet, so as to act as a dashpot and prevent the carriage 117 banging against the stacker drums when a load of plates is removed. When the carriage 117 reaches the bottom of the magazine PRM, the switch FSC, Fig. 1, is opened to stop the machine. When the last plate is ejected from the hopper the lever 90 moves upwardly, allowing the full magazine contacts FMC to open and so stop the machine. Means are also provided for stopping the machine when only a few plates remain in the hopper if the follower weight 88 has not been placed in position, comprising a lever 241, Figs. 7 and 7A, which is spring-urged through a slot in the side 86 of the hopper APH and whose arm 241a bears against the edge of the plates 87 in the hopper. If the follower weight is in position, its edge maintains the lever 241 in the position shown until ejection of the last plate from the hopper stops the machine; if it is not in position lever 241 swings inwardly when the number of plates in the hopper is reduced to about four, and the contacts WIC are opened to stop the machine. Plate analysing.-The top edge of each card 87, Fig. 13, has clipped thereon a series of tabs 87c representing numerical data. Each tab is wide enough to engage a pair of feelers 143, 144, Figs. 8 and 9, when the plate is in the analysing position. The feelers 143, 144 are urged to the left by springs 145. The cam 150, Fig. 9, lowers the lever 151 once per revolution, i.e. once per card cycle and permits the spring 142 to move the slotted bail 140 to the left and so allow a pair of feelers 143, 144 to contact each tab. Each pair of levers 143, 144 controls five sets of contacts ACA, ACB, ACC, ACD and ACE and according to the shape of the tabs sets up corresponding circuits. Fig. 14 shows a set of nine tabs corresponding to the digits 1-9, the feelers 143, 144 are shown in contact with the top of each tab, and underneath is indicated the pairs of contacts closed by the feelers in each case. Counter.-The counter, Fig. 6, is of known type but can be set manually to any number at the commencement of a run, after which it acts as a simple consecutive counter. The main counter shaft 196 turns once per card cycle, and the counter magnet CM operates a transfer lever 205 to cause the units wheel to advance one unit for each energization of the magnet. Each counter wheel 206 drives a readout commutator 194 through an idler gear 208, each commutator having readout brushes 210 which contact the common member 211 and the segment 212 corresponding to the number showing on associated counter wheel 206. The wheels 214 are numbered on their periphery and the numbers may be read through slots 216a in the shield 216, which may be turned up to enable the wheel 214 to be reset by hand. Card punching.-Figs. 17c and 17d show that part of the electrical circuit concerned with punching the cards in accordance with the circuits set up by the tabs on the plate 87. Each relay is indicated by the prefix R and suffix P or H for pick-up or holding coil respectively. The pick-up coils are also repeated in dotted lines adjacent the contacts which they operate. The contacts CFI, CF2 are timed to close temporarily at the end of the card cycle by which time the card is in analysing position and the analysing circuits set up. This completes a circuit from line WI through switch S7 and relays R138, R139 to line W2. This closes the various contacts R138A and R139A to condition the relays R57P to R116P, there being five of such relays to each pushing position, indicated as Position 1-Position 12. Contacts CF3 and CF4 close at the beginning of the next cycle and remain closed for most of such cycle to set up holding circuits through contacts R57A to R116A and holding coils R57H to R116H. At the end